Universal Credit Bill

Baroness Browning Excerpts

2nd reading & Committee negatived & 3rd reading
Tuesday 22nd July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Browning (Con)]

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Rook, and I am also looking forward to the maiden speech of my noble friend Lady Shawcross-Wolfson and to hearing the valedictory speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Bryan, later in the debate. I declare my interest as a vice-president of the National Autistic Society and note that I am a vice-chair of the APPG for both autism and for Parkinson’s. I am not going to talk about PIP. We will almost certainly return to that after the Timms report.

The Bill proposes that people with disabilities applying for universal credit in 2026-27 will receive a reduced amount of benefit, from £97 a week to £47 a week. It is a little early to know what the Equality Act will make of that—two people with the same needs and the same disability. When the Minister sums up, it would be very helpful to hear what the appeal procedure is going to be, because I suggest it will be put to a lot of use.

According to the Bill, young disabled people with limited capacity for work-related activity will not be able to claim until they are 22. At the moment, under the age of 22, younger teenagers and those who are above 18 can claim. Here, we are talking about children most likely to have grown up with a lifelong disability, and now they must wait until they are 22. If there is anything one can do to help children with lifelong disabilities, it is to give them a sense of purpose. The idea that there is going to be a stopgap in that procedure concerns me greatly.

Under the Bill, disabled people will be required to provide an NHS diagnosis to comply with the severe conditions criteria. The criteria are narrow and could reduce, as we have heard, the annual amount by 3,000 a year by 2028. Could the Minister explain whether, if a person has a private diagnosis from a registered doctor or psychologist, that will be accepted?

The Government call these changes “adjustments” and “balancing”. I understand the Government’s problem and I know it is growing exponentially. I agree with the comments we have heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, about the impact on the sickness of the nation, for various reasons, that has affected general health, in terms of environmental issues. I also agree with the comments from the noble Baroness, Lady Andrews, who raised the issue of the outcome of experiencing Covid as a nation. I still do not think we fully understand the impact that Covid has had, not only on those families who lost people but on those people who worked on the front line. I believe that has had an impact far greater than we fully understand.

In today’s Times, William Hague writes—and I am going to mention another Labour Secretary of State for the second time in this debate—that the former Labour Secretary State Alan Milburn says that the Government should reform to a 10-year horizon, not a single Parliament. I agree with that, because I believe that the single-Parliament approach—or the cliff edge, as it is—sorts people into those who receive benefits and those who do not. I would go further. The employment opportunities for disabled people and the benefits they qualify for should not be based on a one-size-fits-all.

We have heard from many charities. I too have heard from most of the charities mentioned, which all have grave concerns for their members about the impact. They need to be reassured, as of course do the people with disabilities.

People with disabilities who do not receive an out of work benefit or a workplace benefit will end up in the second division of priority and will be affected. There is no doubt about it, they will be affected. The results will become obvious in time. The Government hope that a new approach to employment, training and opportunities for disabled people will bridge that damage. I know that this Minister in particular will do her best to see that that happens, but it would have been far better if there was a 10-year transition, with the job changes preceding the change in benefits.